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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28679607">then i realize that you’re just as naïve as i am</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/VITRI0L/pseuds/VITRI0L'>VITRI0L</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>DreamSMP, Video Blogging RPF</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>/roleplay, Angst, Gen, GeorgeNotFound &amp; Sapnap Friendship (Video Blogging RPF), Hurt No Comfort, Hurt/Comfort, Memories, Mentioned Alexis | Quackity, Mentioned Karl Jacobs, Mentioned Toby Smith | Tubbo, Mentioned TommyInnit (Video Blogging RPF), No beta we die like l’manburg, Oneshot, Platonic Cuddling, Sapnap Needs a Hug (Video Blogging RPF), Sapnap-centric (Video Blogging RPF), after sapnap and george joined el rapids and shit, basically the falling out of the dream team on the smp, gotta finish this before the next arc starts, pre l’manburg explosion</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-01-10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-01-10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 06:16:13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,493</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28679607</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/VITRI0L/pseuds/VITRI0L</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Sapnap doesn’t know whether or not he should fight for or against L’Manburg after the nation he’s had no relationship with is threatened again. He looks back on his past friendships, specifically with a certain mask wearing leader.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>No Romantic Relationship(s), Sapnap &amp; Everyone</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>69</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>then i realize that you’re just as naïve as i am</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>bitches day be so fine, then BOOM...</p><p>rät - penelope scott (title)</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Tommy stands on a single chest, wavering slightly like the surface wasn’t stable enough to hold the rather thin boy. His eyes glow bright, but it harbours something else beneath them. His voice speaks of excitement, yet the waver hidden in that tone could easily be interpreted as nervousness.</p><p>As <em>fear.</em></p><p>Which is something Sapnap knows something about as of late. </p><p>“We need to take L’Manburg back,” the teen is shouting, “Because if Dream and Techno take it over, what’s stopping them from taking anything else?!”</p><p>The crowd of almost all of the Greater SMP’s residences stand on the worn, wooden path below. The energy is almost electric, everyone seemed to vibrate with a suffocating mix of anxiety and determination.</p><p>It was stifling.</p><p>Sapnap watches with a faint sort of emotion as the younger boy continues to give his rallying cry. It runs through his viens, setting his nerves on fire. But it’s crushing, sending all the air from his lungs and smashing the raven haired teen’s already broken heart.</p><p>As Tommy continues to deliver his speech, all Sapnap can focus on is the burning of his living body.</p><p>The world is fading fast.</p><p>
  <em>“You’re the WORST President that L’Manburg has ever had, Tubbo!”</em>
</p><p>Bile rises in his throat.</p><p>
  <em>“You’re an idiot, you’re so stupid!”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Dream is shouting. The masked man in that classic hoodie that Sapnap has grown to hate, stands in the remains of the Community House’s floor and he is yelling. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>Anger and condescension fills the man’s usual calm voice.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>It’s all turned onto Tubbo.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>A seventeen year old kid.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>And the President of a crater.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>The words continue, but Sapnap finds he can’t hear them anymore. The teen stands with everyone else on top of the still standing wall. Water is rushing over the wall and it’s getting all in his shoes.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>It’s cold.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Sapnap doesn’t care.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Because he is watching two kids be torn apart, their friendship is being ruined and they are losing all faith in each other.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>For political power.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>For personal gain.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>By Dream.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <strong>Dream.</strong>
  </em>
</p><p>Sapnap jolts violently, pulling himself from the unwanted memory that hadn’t even happened five minutes ago. It was burned into his retinas. His lungs burn as he gasps in a short breath, unconsciously trying to keep quiet. </p><p>His limbs are tingling.</p><p>His eyes a warm with tears.</p><p>Sapnap shakes as Tommy finishes his speech with emboldened cries from his audience. Tubbo smiles from his spot near the other kid, but that warmth doesn’t reach those desolate and cold brown depths. </p><p>It’s a look Sapnap knows.</p><p>“— this chest is for weapons, okay guys?”</p><p>“Tommy,” the older says, a little too desperately and a little too breathy. </p><p>The blond doesn’t comment on the poorly hidden emotions and just turns his blue eyes to Sapnap’s navy ones.</p><p>“I don’t think I can fight with you in this one,” the Texan tells him.</p><p>There is a knife that cuts his empty chest at the admission. It’s cutting deeper when Tommy frowns.</p><p>There’s a knowing looking in the blond’s face.</p><p>
  <em>Why am I so easy to read?</em>
</p><p>“Sapnap, tomorrow before the... before 3, I’ll be back, ok? I’ll talk to you then,” the teen tells him gently.</p><p>He’s trying placate the older.</p><p>The words died on his heavy tongue.</p><p>There is no more room to fight.</p><p>Sapnap doesn’t want to fight anymore.</p><p>So, he nods.</p><p>And Tommy smiles. Weakly, but the action is there.</p><p>“You all don’t know Dream, you never came to visit me in exile!“</p><p>There is pain buried beneath that usually joyous face. A too thin kid (who’s as already so thin before), stands with too big clothes that weren’t his and stares with his too dull eyes. </p><p>There’s no way that Tommy and the blond teen that stood on the broken floor of the blown up house were the same person.</p><p>Sapnap wants to hate him.</p><p>Instead, he hates himself.</p><p>
  <em>Shit.</em>
</p><p>•••</p><p>His sword goes flying from his grasp, landing a few yards to Sapnap’s left.</p><p>He’s faced with the end of a well crafted iron sword. The blade isn’t close enough to be truly dangerous, his heart still jumps slightly.</p><p>“Fine, you win,” he tells his new found friend.</p><p>“LET’S GO!” the sweater clad blond boy yells.</p><p>He tosses the iron sword away and Sapnap snorts as the older boy jitters with excitement.</p><p>“Yeah, yeah, whatever,” the Texan complains good naturedly.</p><p>“C’mon,” Dream whines, a smile in his voice. “Don’t be a pussy.”</p><p>Sapnap laughed.</p><p>“Okay, bitch.”</p><p>They are left breathless from the training, standing under the heavy shade of acida trees. The two let silence was over them, content to just be by one another. It’s odd, Sapnap has only know Dream for a week now, yet it feels so much longer. </p><p>“So... why’re you out here?” </p><p>Sapnap hums softly, looking at his friends hidden face with a curiosity swimming in his eyes.</p><p>“I don’t really have a cool reason or anything,” he replies. “I just like exploring, I guess.”</p><p>Dream nods, looking down at the dry grass the stretches up and tickles the skin beneath their pant legs. </p><p>“How about you?”</p><p>Sapnap can feel the brilliant smile beneath the mask as the dirty blond looks towards him once more.</p><p>“I’m going to find a home.”</p><p>•••</p><p>“Fuck, I almost had you then!”</p><p>There is clear laughter that rings loudly through the green field. The sun hangs low in the blue sky and Sapnap fights off the smile on his lips.</p><p>Dream wheezes slightly before standing back up, no longer incapacitated by the squeezing of his ribcage.</p><p>“Stop laughing,” Sapnap mumbles, only partially irritate. “It’s not funny, bitch.”</p><p>Though he can’t see it, the teen knows his friend is smiling. </p><p>“I will admit, this one was a good one,” Dream says kindly.</p><p>Sapnap frowns, crossing his arms across his shirt (the white one with the fire emblem, of course). Now, he was merely being annoying. All frustration had faded like a bad transition and the Texan couldn’t help but grin.</p><p>“You’re too good at this shit, y’know,” he says causually.</p><p>Dream glances of into the distance.</p><p>“Should we add more hunters?”</p><p>“How many do you think you can outrun, Dream, All Mighty God,” he asks, sarcasm dripping off his words like poison.</p><p>Dream let’s out a obnoxious “hah!”</p><p>“Let’s find out,” his best friend replies.</p><p>Sapnap rolls his eyes. </p><p>Yet, his heart grows fonder.</p><p>•••</p><p>It’s not much, but it’s certainly a start.</p><p>There’s a house that floats in the middle of a rather shallow pond. And there’s a farm that grows the essentials.</p><p>Sapnap isn’t sure where Dream had found this world. But, he could never refuse an offer to world jump with his friends.</p><p>There’s George, Callahan, and Alyssa.</p><p>It’s isn’t much.</p><p>It’s simply the beginning of a world of their own.</p><p>And of a home.</p><p>•••</p><p>“I’ll always fight beside you,” Sapnap says one night, seemingly unprovoked.</p><p>(Not really, it was something he’d been thinking a lot about recently.)</p><p>The night is silent as Dream looks back at his best friend. They stand just outside of the community house, blanketed of the dark of the night. The younger shifts uncomfortably, he’s always hated the times when he can’t figure out what the other is thinking. </p><p>The poorly drawn face smiles at him.</p><p>“Thank you, Sapnap,” Dream replies, voice soft on the gentle wind.</p><p>
  <em>Would you do the same?</em>
</p><p>The question goes unasked.</p><p>•••</p><p>“Dream, just tell me you hate me,” George whispers.</p><p>The too quiet words bounce of the too high walls of the stone castle. The throne room grows dead silent for a second, before its filled with a certain scoff.</p><p>“George, you know I don’t hate you, that’s ridiculous! I’m just trying to protect you...”</p><p>Sapnap watches, growing more and more angry the longer Dream rants on. The man speaks in a light tone, akin to a teasing one and it makes the raven haired teen furious. Couldn’t he see how he was making George feel?</p><p>He sees the beginning of tears well up in deep brown eyes and whatever small part of his heart the teen had left broke.</p><p>“Dream, shut up,” he snaps.</p><p>Many words bubble up in his throat, all wanting to escape. Sapnap wants to yell at his best friend, curse him for being so blind and so ignorant. He should yell and scream, rant and rave, make the masked leader finally listen for once...</p><p>Yet, when all eyes are on him (specifically those little black dots), the teen can’t find the patience to make them understand. All of his thoughts die on his tongue and there is nothing else Sapnap can do but grab George’s thin wrist and pull him along.</p><p>C’mon, George,” he says quietly, “Let’s get outta here.”</p><p>Dream’s gaze burns into his back.</p><p>But, George’s bore into him, filled with something gentle and sweet. </p><p>So Sapnap focuses on those eyes, the ones that make his anger slip away rather than instigate it. The ones that look at him like he’s something worthy of attention instead of ones that are constantly hidden from him.</p><p>The two don’t talk as they leave the castle.</p><p>They don’t need to.</p><p>•••</p><p>Sapnap hasn’t seen Dream much since the man dethroned George in favour of Eret. </p><p>And he didn’t want to see the green man.</p><p>The teen would be able to handle the tension, the fear and anxiety that would definitely wind him up. Surely Dream hated them now, surely he thought they were traitors. </p><p>Sapnap has never been the man’s enemy but he’s seen what happened to L’Manburg.</p><p>Instead, the black haired teen stayed with George. There was a war, but George doesn’t join (he never does). Instead, the quiet brunet builds a quaint house in the side of a hill, spending the entirety of the war decorating it.</p><p>So, when Sapnap finds he doesn’t care much of the outcome of the war, (he doesn’t care about much nowadays), he leaves the battlefield, meandering down the Prime Path. </p><p>The house isn’t hard to find.</p><p>George smiles softly at him.</p><p>“Do you want to come in?” he asks plainly.</p><p>“Yeah.”</p><p>•••</p><p>That night, the teen finds himself wide awake on the couch of his friend’s hobbit house.</p><p>It’s the middle of the night and Sapnap can’t find it in him to shut his eyes. If he were at his home, he’d get up and go for a midnight walk.</p><p>Except he’s not alone.</p><p>George is right next to him, sound asleep. Most of the quilt the shared was thrown of his thin frame and his head was leaned against Sapnap’s shoulder. His warm frame curled up next to the younger’s. </p><p>Sapnap had thrown an arm around George’s small shoulders, one that had now gone numb.</p><p>He refused to move it though. </p><p>Sapnap wouldn’t risk waking up his friend, not after everything. The brunet looked too peaceful as he slept, a small smile on his face. </p><p>Sapnap hasn’t seen him smile in weeks.</p><p>So, the ravenet lets his mind wander. He doesn’t think about Dream, he doesn’t need to. Instead, Mexican L’Manburg, now El Rapids, falls into his weary mind. A city created out of destruction, out of anger and out of the need to be free, was one that he and George now stood with. </p><p>It was the first time Sapnap had actively stood against Dream.</p><p>In the Holy Lands, Quackity had argued vehemently with the tyrant for their freedom. Sapnap could even look at Dream then, crushed by the fear that instilled itself deep into his soul. A cold hand gripped him by the shoulder and held him in place and had threatened to suffocate him. </p><p><em>Dream will kill you for what you’ve done,</em> a small voice reminds him.</p><p>The teen frowns and shakes it away.</p><p>He thinks about the people who care about him.</p><p>George, who stays cuddled beside him in this moment.</p><p>Quackity, who leads their nation with confidence and a unique sort of love that only the chaotic personality that he was could manage.</p><p>And Karl, who’s genuine and silly attitude only brings Sapnap comfort in the worst of situtations. </p><p>They are the ones who really care about him.</p><p>Sapnap thinks back to that memory all those years ago in the dead of night, listening to the gentle breaths of his best friend beside him.</p><p>
  <em>Would you do the same for me, Dream?</em>
</p><p><em>No,</em> the black haired teen thinks.</p><p>He knows that now.</p><p>•••</p><p>George’s house is burned down.</p><p>
  <em>“I don’t... I don’t want to tell— him... about this. I—“</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Sapnap hates the tears that run down the brunet’s face.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“Do what you think is best,” he says softly.</em>
</p><p>George goes to Dream, despite their history and their recent troubles. Sapnap doesn’t accompany him. </p><p>It was selfish, he knew that.</p><p>But, he couldn’t bear to look at that man again, especially so soon.</p><p>The brunet had always been strong than the teen, though.</p><p>Sapnap does, however, attend Tommy’s trial with George.</p><p>(It’s not a trail, not a real one. They’ve all already decided that the young teen is guilty. This was just for show, just to make it official.)</p><p>Tubbo exiles Tommy. </p><p>Actively hands him over to Dream.</p><p>Sapnap isn’t there when it happens, he’s helping George rebuild his home.</p><p>“I’m scared for Tommy,” he tells the brunet.</p><p>Rain falls from the darkened clouds above, running down his warm face. </p><p>George doesn’t say anything in return.</p><p>The rain pours harder.</p><p>•••</p><p>Today’s the day.</p><p>Techno and Dream are going to blow up L’Manburg once again.</p><p>The old Sapnap would have definitely joined them, just grateful to be included and enjoying the destruction that he thought was funny.</p><p>That was when Dream and George were the only ones he had.</p><p>Now there was Quackity.</p><p>There was Karl. </p><p>There was still George, who had grown much closer to the teen.</p><p>And there was Tommy. </p><p>A ragged teen with scars scattering his much too thin body, wearing clothes that looked like their threads were about to snap and with unkept blond hair that fell in front of his unnaturally dull eyes. </p><p>Tommy stands in front of him now, eyes hiding something behind those blue depths.</p><p>He’s prepared to convince Sapnap to join them, and fight for the side the teen had always opposed up until them.</p><p>Sapnap sees something of himself in the post exile blond, and it hardens the resolve in his heart.</p><p>He’ll let Tommy go through with his plan to try and convince the dark haired teen. He’s sure that, like the unpleasantly stubborn person that he is, Sapnap will most definitely play Devil’s Advocate at some turns. </p><p>Because he and Tommy aren’t friends. </p><p>They never have been, not really. Always on opposite sides, always disagreeing and fighting. It was the just way it was.</p><p>But, there are others the Texan is willing to fight for. </p><p>
  <em>Quackity.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Karl.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>George.</em>
</p><p><em>For them,</em> Sapnap tells himself.</p><p>There’s a gentle smile creeping onto his wobbly lips.</p><p>He lets it.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>i really like writing about the smp dream team’s dynamic &amp; i honestly find it more interesting than the main storyline sometimes. cause i wanna know more about how their broken friendship affects the characters &amp; shit like that. it would make for some good emotional angst and you know i love me some of that.</p><p>i hope you’re well &lt;3</p><p>have a good evening!</p></blockquote></div></div>
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